This is very weird. This is the first general sf con we've attended since Balticon last Memorial Day, and the last convention of any sort since Contata that June. And while that certainly counts, I spent most of it running the con suite.

We haven't been bereft of fannish activities, of course. Not only do we have things online, but we've been to housefilks and the Ferry Boat ride and other fannish things. Still.

I think we're in real need of this. It's been too long. On the other hand, it doesn't seem real.

<pompous voice>The folk music of the science fiction community.</pompous voice>

Songs with sf or fantasy themes, or themes important to science fiction fans (fandom, tv shows, politics, cats. Most definitely cats.) Often parodies of well-known mainstream songs, or of popular folk songs. Increasingly, to original music, which is then "filked" in turn - in filk circles, this is a compliment. These can be performed in concert, but the classic way is in a conference room late at night while sitting in an approximate circle.

I got very tired of the pretty white horses, but I'm enjoying her current two current retold fairy tale series - the romance novels which don't read like romance novels, and the Victorian/Edwardian Masters.

I think it's because she's decided to let her characters resist the will-to-stupid - their good choices drive the plot, and any bad choices come from ignorance, not idiocy. Refreshing.

Yeah, that's why we went back to Lunacon instead of Arisia as our winter con. Arisia means going Thursday and returning Monday, with concomitant extra hotel stay. Lunacon is only 2 days, so even with car rental it was much cheaper.

Anyway, it was a better Lunacon than we've been to in a long time. Things ran smoothly, there was a good variety of programming, the filking was pretty good, the consuite was friendly, etc.